missing shrimp!!!!! help.

[jay0705]

I have gotten 4 pep shrimp and now 1 cleaner shrimp. All missing. Always after they molt. I don't have so much rock that I wouldn't be able to find them or at least 1 out of 5!!!!. Idk what is killing them. My stock list is as follows. 2 occ clowns,royal gramma,purple fire,mandarin,red scooter blenny,hectors goby,pygmy hawk,fox face and a coral beauty. And about 60lbs of lr. I believe it's something in my 1 20lb piece lr. But idk what. All I've seen in it are a few bristle worms and a quarter sized urchin that hitch hiked in. Any ideas??? Thanks in advance for all help

 

[mr llimpid]

First question. Do you find there molts? All so post your water prams. How long has your tank been running? Hawk fish eat shrimps he may be the culprit.

 

[bang guy]

Hawk Fish often eat ornamental Shrimp. The Shrimp would probably be too big for the fish under most circumstances but they would be easy prey just after they molt.

 

[jay0705]

I do find the molts. The hawk was added after they disappeared. Or at least after the pep. He was in there for the cleaner. But he's so small I'd notice if he ate something as big as a shrimp. There about double his size.

 

[jay0705]

Also tank params. Sg is 1.022,no ammonia, no nitrates, nitrite is under .5 I believe. My snails and my other 2 cleaners shrimp are all good. Those shrimp also stay on the other side of the tank from the rock in question lol

 

[mr llimpid]

Some times shrimps, crabs have bad molts and die it happens. Or you have a hitch hiker on rock killing them. but if is its always after molts, then its just nature. If I were you I would not add more and see what happens to survivors.

 

[jay0705]

Ok thank you. Idk what it is. But I LL see what happens

 

[flower]

Do you have moon lights? To be honest, that's really the only way to see if you don't have shrimp anymore. My Peppermints only come out at night. Skunk Cleaners are usually out and about hanging out on their cleaning station rock...but they don move from that spot at night, and go all over the tank.